Thunder vs Lakers Friday Night Showdown

The Los Angeles Lakers have the difficult task to overcome a five game losing streak against Oklahoma City Thunder, this Friday night at 10:30 PM ET at the Staples Center.

Los Angeles lost against the Spurs on Wednesday despite a great second half effort, and most people are wondering if they will actually be in the playoffs at the end of the season. “We lost five in a row,” Kobe Bryant said. “It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

“No, not really,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I’m proud of their effort. They fought. They fought last night against Houston. You can see the team getting some traction, but we’re a long way away from a smile.”

Over the last 15 seasons, just four Western Conference teams started the season 15-20 or worse and made the playoffs.

The Thunder has the second best scoring offense in the NBA and has won three of the last four games, including a double digit victory over the Timberwolves also on Wednesday.

“It was an ugly game early, but I think we were happy we weren’t giving up easy shots and making them score on jump shots over a hand,” Thunder forward Nick Collison said. “That’s what we try and do.”

“Everybody locked in and focused in on Minnesota tonight,” Brooks said. “I was glad they came out, and I knew they would. We’ve always been a team that takes pride in how we play, and they did tonight.”

The Thunder has won eight of the last 10 against the Lakers in any court.

MTS co-founder Geoff Johnson is a lifelong Mets fan, something he can't do anything about. He has a great track record when it comes to wagering on baseball – largely because he's more than willing to bet against the Mets. His career profits are impressive, but not quite as good as his handsome friend Frank Lorenzo. He wishes he hadn't let Frank write his profile.